Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tyne has been spotted off the north Norfolk coast, days after she was monitoring a Russian frigate passing through the English Channel.

The River-class vessel was seen off Blakeney Point, near the village of Morston, on Saturday, and left sometime overnight last night (October 4/5).

Lee Wright, who saw the ship while in the area bird watching, said: “I was following the birds along the horizon, and then I saw the vessel. It’s quite unusual to see the Royal Navy here, and it was certainly impressive.”

Tyne was launched in 2002, and decommissioned in May this year. But she was brought back into service two months later using cash from an EU Exit Preparedness Fund, set up in case more ships are needed to control UK waters during Brexit.

In the last week of October, she was keeping an eye on Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry in the channel.

The Royal Navy said it would not comment on what she was doing off Norfolk.

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